


The Pieces on the Board

by AmateurScribes



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Canon-Typical Behavior, Found Family, Gen, Gold Team, Hospitals, Team Bonding, Zine: Heart's Home (Red vs. Blue)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:41:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24137533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmateurScribes/pseuds/AmateurScribes
Summary: Just before they leave for their retirement, Grif thinks that it's only fitting that he does one last check up on his kids in Gold Teams.And yes, that meant visiting Matthews in the hospital, ugh.
Relationships: Antoine Bitters & Dexter Grif, Dexter Grif & Matthews
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	The Pieces on the Board

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my submission to the Heart's Home Fanzine! It's been such a long time waiting to publish this, but I'm so glad to finally do so! You guys should check out the other contributors in the zine, there have been so many great pieces made by so many talented people!
> 
> All mistakes are my own! I do hope you guys enjoy it!

If there's one thing that Grif can appreciate about ending the war on Chorus, is that everything was  _ over. _

No more SIM Trooper bullshit, no more Freelancer hassles, and now  _ finally _ no more civil war crap.

They- the Reds and Blues, but most importantly,  _ Grif- _ could finally get a hard-earned vacation.

And Kimball, as generous as she was, had offered them a quaint little moon where they could take a long break. 

But, it wasn't quite ready yet, considering that they were taking the time to get Chorus all sorted out first. 

Plus there were still so many people that he knew that needed medical help. Simmons had ruined a few of his implants during the final fight- and the less that was said about that the better, so far it was looking like a tough subject for the rest of the group, less so him- but it wasn't as concerning as some of the wounded whose guts were outside of their bodies instead of within, so he was put at the back of the waiting list.

Which meant that they were grounded for right now, and while he spent most of his time making sure that Simmons was ok- the perfect excuse to not help with repairing the planet, which isn't to say that he didn't want to, it's just that that would be a lot of hard work that he'd probably fuck up in the end anyway- it'd take an idiot to not hear about others who were wounded.

Which means that it got back to him about Matthews being hospitalized.

Did he feel sort of responsible for the kid? Ok fine, yes, but he'd rather do training with Wash than admit it to anyone. 

Last he heard, Bitters was making sure that he was healing properly, which was all fine and dandy. 

But the kid wanted his  _ captain _ to come and visit, saying as much through comments like, 'Do you know when Captain Grif might find the time to see me?'

Now that made Grif feel kinda shitty. Because for as much as Matthews wanted to give Simmons a run for his money in the world of kissassery, it at least felt more genuine than Simmons' need to succeed in the field.

And the kid  _ was _ a Gold Team member, and they were under  _ Grif's _ jurisdiction. 

So, ugh, as much as he'd never hear the end of it, yes, he was going to visit Matthews in the hospital. Just this once, because they'd be gone soon anyway. 

And just as a buffer he was bringing Bitters with him.

It wasn't too difficult of a trip to make to the hospital, even if Grif felt like he was walking to his execution with every step. 

But he braced himself as he walked to the part of the hospital room that had been claimed for Matthews, walking past a soldier that he didn't really know the name of but that had a Fed visiting her, and once he was past the faded blue curtain he immediately heard the excited gasp of the Gold soldier.

"Captain! You finally found time to visit!" Matthews chirped, pushing himself up, forgetting about the comic book in his lap completely. 

"Of course, why wouldn't I-" depth breath here, don't roll his eyes, "-visit one of my soldiers. Who's injured. In the hospital."

Sniffling and clasping his hands together in front of him, the private's eyes started to water as he smiled, and said, "This is probably the greatest day of my life. I have literally dreamed of this moment."

Narrowing his eyes and blinking, he can't hold back asking, "Even the part where you're in the  _ hospital?" _

"I have had many dreams about us bonding, Captain," Matthews responded. 

Looking at Bitters for any kind of support, he's not surprised to see his lieutenant leaning back in his chair with his hands resting against his chest, merely peering through one half-lidded eye to say, "He fills like, a dream journal to the brim every week. In case you ever wondered where those spare notebooks were going to."

He really, really wants to comment on that, but the purpose of this visit isn't to ridicule his private- although he really,  _ really _ wants to because, a dream journal? Of all things- so he turns back to the Gold Team member and tries to think of something, anything to say.

Which leads to him staring at Matthews and then the kid staring at him happily back.

This was awkward. 

Well, at least there was an easy, but no doubt exhausting, option to take.

Pressing his hands tightly against each other, he gestures towards Matthews and says, "Since this is a visit for you- and because you probably won't see me, like, ever again- what do  _ you _ want to do?"

Mistake. That was a mistake.

Because where his private would have fretted and maybe cried at the declaration that he would never see his captain again, it had completely passed over his head at the thought that he could do or say anything, and Grif would go along with it.

Part of him expected Matthews to explode from happiness and shock honestly.

"Bitters," Matthews whispered reverently, the little wheels in his head turning at a rate that could probably power the entire planet. "Get my  _ game." _

"What game?" and now Grif's scared, because the look in Matthews' eyes is devious in a way he hasn't  _ ever _ seen in his pushover of a private.

Bitters doesn't even open his eyes as he starts to say, "Matthews, you can't seriously expect me to go to our bunk for some-"

"Did I fucking  _ stutter, _ Bitters," Matthews cuts him off, eyes hard and not joking in the slightest. 

Bitters eyes fly open, and he immediately gets out of his chair walking out of the hospital room, hands held up in the air, and as he passes by a flabbergasted Grif, he mutters, "You don't fuck with a man whose fifty-ninth scenario dream is coming true."

As Bitters leaves, Grif just asks, "Why do you know which one this is exactly?"

This leaves him alone with Matthews, who's practically vibrating in his hospital bed, foot kicking excitedly underneath the covers while the other was held aloft in a cast.

This was just one big mistake.

But, on second thought, just taking a look at the pure giddiness of the bed-ridden private, maybe it wasn't so bad.

Pausing in his glee, Matthews looked down at his lap as he said, "I- I'm just really happy that you took the time to visit me, Captain. I know I'm not your favorite soldier but..."

Oh, he really fucked this one up, didn't he?

Sighing, he figures that a tad bit of emotional, ugh, sincerity wouldn't kill him, so Grif responds, "Look, kid, I won't lie and say that you're my  _ favorite _ person that I've met. But, you've got heart, and you're one of my kids, so I should at least make an effort to look out for you. And that includes visiting you when you're in the hospital."

Sniffling loudly, Matthews has tears in his eyes, but with a wobbly smile says, "Thank you, Captain."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, the purpose of this visit wasn't to make you cry," he tries his best to alleviate the mood as if he wasn't feeling guilty enough. "Now, tell me about this supposed  _ game _ that you had Bitters go fetch for you."

Instantly cheering up, wiping away the tears from his cheeks, Matthews grins brightly as he says, "It's actually based around you and the other captains! I followed up on all the adventures and cool missions that you went on and made a game based on all of it! I never really thought I'd  _ ever _ get the chance to show you or anyone other than Bitters really..."

He continued to talk about the different functions of the game, and from what Grif could figure out, it worked a little bit like any run of the mill trivia game except somehow more complicated. But just before Bitters entered the room with it, he concluded, "I spent so long making this so I hope you'll like it and maybe be at least a little bit proud of me!"

Well, fuck, if this whole thing has taught him anything.

It's that he already is.

**Author's Note:**

> There can never be enough bonding between these three; Gold Team best team, let's go, woo!
> 
> If you have any questions or would just like to stop by to chat, you can find me at either of my Tumblr's: @agent-murica (main) and @amateurscribes (writing)!


End file.
